Pong Meze, Natar Lewurla

The displacement of the Indigenous Community of Lewurla from the old village of Golo Munde was caused by the establishment of a protected forest by the Dutch East Indies government in 1932. Since the village was located within the forested area, it was moved to Kampung Puson. In Puson, a few years later, they moved again to Kampung Waru. Several years later, from Kampung Waru, they were moved again to Kampung Uwu and then to Rambu. The displacement from Puson and Waru to Kampung Uwu and Rambu (approximately 2 years living in those villages) was due to the area around the village being designated as protected forest and state forest by the Indonesian government. The designation of the forest is estimated to have occurred in 1984. Subsequently, in 1993, the Indigenous community of Uwu Rambu moved again to Lewurlah, the current village. This displacement was caused by the designation of the area containing the village as a TWA area by the government.

The designation of the TWA forest area by the government took place in 1993, at which time Lewurla was still under the administration of the Sangan Kalo village government, before it was separated. The process of designating the area was done unilaterally by the Dutch government, the Indonesian government, and TWA, without prior notification to the local community. In fact, the community had occupied the area long before the existence of TWA. The government used terror tactics, threats, beatings, evictions, and did not allow the community to stay around the area. Both the village head of Lewurla and the elders received threats of shooting, were shot, beaten, terrorized, and so on. Due to this treatment causing fear among the residents, they were forced to surrender and leave their village.

The area designated as TWA is a traditional farming area managed by the local community based on divisions by dor (Dor is the highest customary leader for both tribes in Lewurla). Evidence of this is that in the area (Kampung Rambu and Uwu) there are long-lived commodity plants such as coffee, candlenut, coconut, and vegetables like jackfruit, which are estimated to be much older than the designation of the TWA area. This area was made a communal garden by their ancestors, as the principle of gardening in the past was to garden in a wild manner with a system of communal ownership. The commodities planted by their ancestors in the old village (which is now designated as TWA) could be harvested by anyone depending on their willingness. The harvest of coffee and candlenut can reach dozens of kilograms with an area planted with coffee and candlenut of about 3-4 hectares.

Another reason for the displacement of the Indigenous Community of Lewurla from the old village of Uwu Rambu to the current village of Lewurla is that the rice fields are too far from the village. The rice fields are located in Lewurla, while they live on the mountain. The round trip is too far, and during the harvest, they struggle to carry the harvested rice back to the village. At that time, Lewurla was the location of the rice fields of the ancestors of Uwu Rambu. Around that area, huts were built to store the harvest and to stay in when they felt too lazy to return to the village. Eventually, everyone preferred to stay in the huts, making it closer to the cultivated rice fields. As a result, the village became empty. From those huts, the village was then continuously built and named Lewurla. (source: brwa.or.id).

The Indigenous Community of Lewurla and Pong Meze

The Indigenous Community of Lewurla has a traditionally protected area called Pong Meze. Pong (forest) Meze is a forbidden forest area or a sacred site, which contains a source of spring water and is utilized as a reserve land area. The area around Pong Meze also has natural resources that can be used as building materials and traditional medicines.

Pong Meze has been agreed upon by the indigenous community as a special protected area. The main rules established in Pong Meze are that trees cannot be cut down, entry without a clear purpose is prohibited, foul language is not allowed, hunting is forbidden, and walking alone is not permitted. If someone intentionally cuts down trees, they will face customary sanctions, and the community believes that violators will receive immediate retribution from the spirits that guard the place. The entire Indigenous Community of Lewurla has the responsibility to protect Pong Meze. Decisions related to Pong Meze are made through customary deliberation (Gedje Mberek Ning Kne). The management of Pong Meze is regulated in unwritten customary law that has been passed down through generations along with the institution with the following structure:

1. DOR, responsible for managing customs in the ulayat, conducting customary deliberations, land affairs, and leading customary rituals.
2. Gae Natar, responsible for handling village issues if there are cases.

Pong Meze is protected because the Indigenous Community of Lewurla has inherited rules to maintain and preserve the cultural heritage of their ancestors. Additionally, Pong Meze is important to protect because it contains natural resources in the form of spring water. Certainly, by maintaining and protecting these natural resources, the entire Lewurla Community can utilize these resources whenever they need them.

Moreover, the protection of Pong Meze contributes to the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, such as high-value flora and fauna. The following are the flora and fauna found in the Pong Meze area:

• Flora: Ajang wood, maras, ngelang, rangga po, ngasar damo, kabak, kasur rebo, mezang, nginto, namut, firok, lemah kaba, kunis, drong, pangke, bongkok, lantong, tiaa, lesing, lemos, ngampu, minsi, riton, tokoniki, laso, longkarlawo, gaka, belel, raak, waru, naok, damir, nengik, rita, kuwir, pizor, mahogany, white teak, kawak, dalok rebo, munting, ranggapo, nengi damu, minto, rattan, bamboo
• Fauna: Birds, deer, muntjac, wild boar

as well as traditional medicines such as: kui wood, turmeric, ginger, tube fruit, crown of god, noni.

The Indigenous Community of Lewurla does not yet have regulations governing the recognition and protection of indigenous rights or the recognition of protected areas. However, the Indigenous Community in East Manggarai Regency has a legal basis related to the Recognition, Protection, and Empowerment of Indigenous Law Communities in East Manggarai Regency through Regional Regulation Number 1 of 2018 concerning the Recognition, Protection, and Empowerment of Indigenous Law Communities.